I didn't respond at first, taking in the information he was presenting me. Victoria walked over to me and stomped on my right forearm, causing me to cry in pain.
"Yes!" I yelled, rubbing my throbbing arm once her foot was removed.
"Good. Here's the thing, though. If we catch you before those last five days are up, we're going to torture you. Not kill you, since that would be boring. But we'll give you a little reminder to do better the next time. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" James seemed giddy about the idea, sending a new wave of terror through me.
Victoria knelt by my side and smiled at me.
"Don't worry, Isabella. We won't be too rough. But I must say, I'd like a taste of your blood before we go." Before I could respond she grabbed my right arm and lifted the sleeve up. Then her teeth sank into the underside of my upper forearm. I screamed in agony as her teeth tore my flesh and felt the blood leaving my body. After a moment she tore away, licking the blood trickling down her lips.
"How was it?" James asked.
"Delicious," Victoria moaned. Her eyes were pitch black as she stared down at me. "I've never tasted blood this good before. I can't wait for another taste." She leaned in again, but James grabbed her shoulder and threw her back.
"Now, now, Victoria, play nice. Let the venom burn her for a while, and then suck it out. We don't want her turned, now do we?" She growled, but nodded nonetheless.
That's when it started. I felt a sudden burning sensation course through me, especially my forearm. It felt like my skin was on fire. Everything hurt. I screamed in pain as the fire erupted through me. I writhed around, struggling to move, but the burn didn't leave me.
"Stop the fire! Oh God, stop the fire! It burns!" I shrieked. I couldn't hear the two vampires as I continued screaming as the pain increased.
God, kill me. Kill me, kill me, kill me!
KILL ME!
I don't know long I screamed and writhed for. But at some point, I saw a head of red hair near me and felt teeth in the spot where the burn was the worst. Then the burning slowly disappeared. I stared up to see Victoria smirking at me as she pressed her icy lips to mine one last time. I could taste my own blood on them.
The last words I remembered were a faint, mocking whisper.
"Sleep well, Isabella. Tomorrow you start our game." Then she was gone. And I fell unconscious.
That's how it had started. I had woken up the next day, sore and soaked in sweat and tears. At first, I had thought it was some nightmare. But I was still inside a warehouse and I saw the bite mark on my forearm. It was white and cold to the touch, making me shiver. It had been real.
I had sat there and cried to myself for an hour before my body began moving. The last four months were the worst. I tried as hard as I could to think of ways to avoid them. Yet they always found me, always smug. At first I had tried to run, but that never worked. So the moment I saw them, I resigned to my fate. The torture had always been the same. They'd beat me, bruise me, insult me. They wouldn't make my bleed, though, since that would make things too difficult. I didn't get why they didn't just kill me.
Victoria had bitten me quite a few times. James didn't have the same control as she did, hence why he was always standing away, watching with glee. I had six bite marks on my right arm. Apparently she was going to cover my entire body or some shit.
I didn't care anymore. I didn't fight it. I couldn't fight it.
New tears had formed in my eyes as I recalled the horrid memories. I had slowed my pace down so as to not fall over anything, but ended up tripped and landing flat on my face anyways. I winced at the impact and stood slowly. I had a multitude of bruises on my arms, chest, back and legs. My face was probably scuffed up too. I wiped the dirt off of me as best I could as I slowly continued my moving.
Why was I still doing this? Why was I still running when I knew it would be pointless?
As I pondered my sanity, I saw something in the distance. It was a house. The house was large and white, and looked almost empty. I neared the house, slowly, staring at it with wide eyes. It was quite beautiful looking. I wondered who lived out here.
My stomach growled suddenly. I realized I hadn't eaten for a day and a half now. Ha. I hadn't had an actual meal in four months, truth be told. I slowly crept towards the house and glanced around casually. I didn't see anyone. I slowly treaded to the door and put my ear to it. I didn't hear anyone. I took a quick glance in a nearby window. Nope, nothing.
"Here goes nothing," I murmured quietly to myself. Without letting my conscious get the better of me, I made a mad dash inside the house.
Over the last four months I had to survive by stealing food and clothes. I didn't have money and I couldn't get a job, so there was no other way. My clumsiness often made it difficult, but I somehow managed to escape each time without getting caught. I got better as time went on and smarter too. I couldn't stop my clumsiness, though.
No sooner had I sprinted into the vacant kitchen did I slip and land on the floor with a thud.
Damn it! Stupid smooth floor!
I cringed at the pain since I had bererer my right knee, which was already pretty bruised. I got to my feet in a hurry and glanced around nervously. No one. I didn't allow myself a sigh of relief as I bounded to the refrigerator and quickly and quietly opened it, praying there was something edible in it. And there was. Wow. There was A LOT. The fridge was chock full of various foods and unopened beverages. I gawked at the sight before slowly going to grab something.
"Is there something you'd like?" a calm voice asked behind me. I froze in place as my heart skipped a beat. Oh God. I'd been caught. Shit.